Britain’s government is trying to prevent US pop singer Kelly Clarkson from taking a rare turquoise and gold ring, once owned by 19th century novelist Jane Austen, out of the country. The singer, who became the first contestant to win American Idol more than a decade ago, bought the antique ring at an auction last year for more than £150,000.
Culture minister Ed Vaizey placed a temporary export bar on the ring, which stops it leaving the country, and appealed for a UK buyer to come forward and save it for the nation. “She (Austen) is one of our greatest writers and greatest national treasures and I think people will feel very strongly about it,” Vaizey told BBC radio on Friday. The ring is one of only three surviving pieces of jewellery known to have belonged to the author.